Music of the Night
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: Aria Hikari is ready to go on heists to trap Dark with her brother. The target: A new musical score. But when she gets trapped inside, will Dark be able to save her?
1. Bless You

First day of school. Everyone was watching me. It was obvious who I was, I mean, I look just like my brother, Satoshi Hiwatari.

Several people spoke to me, and I made small talk. Unlike my brother, I yearned for companionship…friends. Although I think he secretly does, too. I don't know enough about him to know about that, however, even if he is my twin. But he has his reasons for remaining distant from everyone, even me. But he allowed me to come live with him, and for that I was grateful.

I looked around. Everyone looked so happy. The school day was almost over.

I stood as the bell rang. Time to return home.

Daisuke Niwa was having a bad day.

First of all, it was raining, and he had forgotten his umbrella. And if that wasn't bad enough, he had a cold. He sat in his desk, looking around. Everyone looked so happy.

Only Aria Hiwatari looked like she might be having as bad a day as he was.

Why are you staring at her? Dark asked him from inside his head.

I-I wasn't staring! Daisuke felt a blush start on his cheeks.

She's Hiwatari's sister, Dark replied. You should be as wary around her as you are around him.

I've never even met her, Daisuke replied. I heard she just moved to this country from America.

She's still a Hikari at heart. Even if she wasn't raised as one.

The bell rang. Daisuke stood—and sneezed, tripping and falling against Aria, knocking her over into the desk.

"Ouch," she said. "Bless you."

"Huh?" Daisuke was confused. Why was she saying that when she should be mad at him for knocking her over? Any other girl would be.

"Oh, it's an American tradition," she replied, looking embarrassed. "If someone sneezes, we say 'bless you.' It originally comes from Germany, where they thought that bad spirits were released when you sneezed, so they wanted to chase them away with blessings…ah, sorry. Never mind."

Aria blushed, gathering her books off the floor.

"Stupid Aria," I muttered to myself. "Now he thinks you're a raving lunatic."

"No, I don't," the boy said. "I've…never met an American before."

"So…you know I'm Aria Hiwatari, then?" I said in response, finished gathering my books.

"Yeah…I'm Daisuke Niwa," he replied.

Niwa…Niwa…didn't Satoshi tell me to stay away from the Niwa boy? Well…he's not the boss of me, generally speaking, so…

"Nice to meet you," I said, smiling. "Well…I've gotta go meet my brother now, so…I'll see you, okay?"

"Okay," he replied.

You've got to be kidding, Dark said to Daisuke. You like the Hikari girl, don't you?

NO! She's just a friend—

Yeah, a friend that you like.

"What did I tell you?" Satoshi said on our way home from school. "I told you to stay away from Daisuke Niwa."

"Well he's the only person who talked to me, Satoshi," I replied. "And besides, I like him. He's really nice."

Satoshi stopped in his tracks. "You…like him? Interesting."

I turned red. "N-No…that's not what I was…oh, never mind."

"Does he feel the same?" Satoshi asked.

"I just met him!"

"I'll find out soon enough," Satoshi replied.


	2. Aria the Singer

I took sat down at my desk, humming softly the last few lines of Think of Me from The Phantom of the Opera. My iPod was in my ears, and I listened to Christine as she sang the last note.

"Aria?" I heard Daisuke say my name.

I pulled the earbuds out of my ears. "Yes?"

"What…are you listening to?" he asked.

"Oh…you know…just the best opera of all time!" I exclaimed. "The Phantom of the Opera."

Daisuke flinched. That's what his mom had told him that he and Dark would be stealing tonight! The Phantom of the Opera…but it was a painting.

"Something wrong?" Aria asked. "I know my family's supposed to be all artists…but I've always been musical. I was always a failure as an artist. My brother…doesn't approve."

She looked down. Her eyes were filling with tears.

"Aria! What's the matter?" Daisuke put a hand on her shoulder.

"I…I guess I just…really wanted him to approve of me," she said softly.

"Don't worry," Daisuke said to her. "I'm sure he loves you. And just because he doesn't approve of your singing doesn't mean he doesn't approve of you."

Aria wiped her eyes with one hand. "Daisuke…will you…sometime…listen to me sing?"

Daisuke was taken aback by her question. It seemed…so personal…

"Yes," he said.


	3. Hikari Awakened

Aria, hurry up!" hissed Satoshi. "And turn off your iPod!"

"But Satoshi," I whined. "I want to go to bed. I'm tired. What are we doing here, anyway?"

Satoshi looked at me as if I was an idiot.

"It's the Hikari destiny," he said. "To protect our artworks…from Dark."

I gasped. "The Phantom Thief? The one…from my dreams? Is it the same person…the one who steals from the world?"

Satoshi nodded. I was filled with uncontrollable anger.

What kind of person…steals artwork that's supposed to belong to the world? I wondered. I hope we meet him. I'd like to tell him a thing or two…

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Calm down. Have you seen Dark before?" Satoshi said.

"In almost every dream I have," I said softly. "He's always after…me."

Satoshi looked at me, a quizzical expression on his face. "You…hmm…you're going to valuable, little sister. He won't attack a female. I'll show you what we're guarding."

Satoshi led me to a long hallway, lined with masks and scores of old plays and musicals. At the end of the hallway was a score in a frame with a label: The Phantom of the Opera.

I stepped up to it, gasping for breath. "S-Satoshi…it's the original score. I've wanted to see this my whole life!"

Satoshi sighed exasperatedly. "Aria! Turn around! The painting is on this wall!"

I turned, and there was the painting. It was a beautiful painting of the masquerade scene, right as the Phantom appears.

I could hear them…their voices breaking into song. So beautiful…

"Guard it with your life," Satoshi said seriously. "I'm going to see if they've spotted him.

Satoshi turned and left the room. The music in my head was getting louder. I began to hum along with it, and then softly sing.

"I expected to meet you here, Aria Hikari," said the voice from my nightmares.

"Dark," I said. "Get out of here. You can't have this painting."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Dark said. "You aren't a real Hikari, not yet anyway, and you don't really know what you're dealing with."

"I'm dealing with a sick person who has nothing of his own, and so takes what doesn't belong to him!" I yelled in anger.

"And you're a Hikari who knows nothing of art!" Dark pretended to laugh at me, but I could see I had struck a nerve.

He says I know nothing of art…but that painting on the wall has made an imprint on my heart before I even saw it!

Something possessed me then. I came close to Dark, and gently touched his face with my hand. "This haunted face…holds no horror for me now…" I sang in a soft, clear voice. Dark looked taken aback. "It's in your soul…that the true distortion lies!"

I don't believe it…either she awakened it, or it awakened her…or both…Dark thought, as a beam of white light shot from the painting and engulfed the already glowing Aria. And…how did she see through me like that?

Is she like us, Dark? Asked Daisuke desparately. How do we stop this?

It…depends on if she's doing this…or if the painting's got control…

Suddenly and violently, Daisuke was thrown up in the air…separated from Dark, and they were both engulfed in the same white light. It was pulling…getting harder to resist. Daisuke could hear music.

He faintly saw Satoshi enter the room. Would he be separated from his other half as well? Daisuke watched as Krad separated from Satoshi…and suddenly combined with Dark!

Weren't Krad and Dark originally one and the same? Came a last nagging thought.

The light at last pulled them in…Aria, Daisuke, Satoshi, and the strange combination of Dark and Krad.


End file.
